Don't Do
It
I enjoyed Barry Farber's piece on the mental edge for
connecting with customers-current or prospective ("Sales
Success," October). As a psychologist who has put psychology
to work on the competitive fields of sports and business and taught
at Dartmouth Medical School for over a decade, I would add one
additional tip: Don't use don't!
Don't think about what time it is. Did you see a watch or a
clock-digital or analog? The human mind is visual. Neuropsych
journeys into its deep corners suggest we may not even process the
word don't. Instead, we picture the words that follow its
command. Don't look back-look ahead. The next time you hear
your own inner voice admonishing you with the "don't"
command, turn it around. Tell yourself what to do. The results will
surprise you.
Pamela M. Brill, Ed.D.
Organizational Psychologist
In the Zone Inc. Peak
Performance Consulting Bedford, New Hampshire
Power
Position
I couldn't agree more with Marc Diener's negotiating tips
("Real Deal," October). Coming into the negotiation with
a "getting more out of life" attitude is one of the keys
to success. Let me suggest two others.
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First, go beyond simply "what they want" and
"what we want"; spend some serious time preparing for the
negotiations. Be explicit about their (and your) positions, the
core gotta-haves. Then break down the deal itself into its various
issues: warranty support, returns and credits, delivery time frame,
use of existing facilities-whatever. Identify priorities (yours and
theirs) and high priorities for them. This type of preparation is
very rarely done, and those who do it come in with a distinct
advantage.
Second, take a businesslike tone throughout the negotiations.
You want a joint venture deal with your Chinese partner? Take a
formal, even-tempered tone throughout the meetings-and the breaks!
(This is often difficult for Americans, who often want to have a
chummy relationship.) Don't agree to anything until everything
is agreed.
Terry Elliott
President
Elliott Consulting
Lakeville, Minnesota
Think Local
Concerning "Made in America?" (October) by Joshua
Kurlantzick, I agree. But when people are fired, we lose customers
for American products, since unemployed people will not buy houses,
automobiles, clothes-or if they do, they will keep things to a
minimum. The U.S. manufacturing sector is shrinking, but we can
control it. If, for instance, we purchase American automobiles,
then we support the metals industry, the paint industry, the
electronics industry (there are dozens and dozens of computer chips
and circuitry in automobiles), the seat and seat cover and leather
industries, and the plastics industry-all here in the United
States. When we buy a foreign product, we are exporting jobs.
There's no reason why the United States can't compete
with foreign manufacturers since we have the advantage of the
robotics industry.
Many foreign products, such as automobiles, are not made in the
United States but only assembled [here]. These are low-paying jobs.
Certainly, some products are labor-intensive and cannot be made
here. Certainly, American automobiles have improved, so for the
past six or eight years, they have been among the finest in the
world, with the lowest maintenance and repair records. It's
time we become economic nationalists and purchase American
products.
Dr. Yale J. Berry
President
Institute for Economic Nationalism Inc.
Brookline, Massachusetts
Corrections: Nevada Brake & Auto is the correct company
name ("Smart Moves," November). Eduventures Inc.
calculates that the for-profit education sector is worth more than
$100 million, not $100 billion ("Private Partners,"
November).
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